There are various types of dental arch models. One type is known as a typodont.
A typodont is a synthetic life-like model of ideal upper and lower dental arches which can be articulated between closed and open conditions. Typodonts are used for various purposes including teaching, demonstration, and/or advertisement of dental products such as orthodontic appliances.
A manufacturer of orthodontic appliances may advertise its products by mounting them on teeth of a typodont. For identifying a manufacturer, a typodont may contain information such as the manufacturer's name and/or logo. The information is typically placed to be seen when a person views a top surface of the typodont's upper dental arch. The information is made permanent by embedding it in the typodont at time of fabrication.
The fabrication process comprises placing a sheet containing printed information on a surface of one of the dental arch models, typically on a top surface of the upper arch model, and then overmolding at least the informational sheet with transparent material. Once the overmold material has set to a hardened condition, the sheet material becomes trapped in place and can be viewed through the transparent material.
Another type of dental arch model comprises a single arch, either an upper arch or a lower arch. The model may contain an ideal dental arch or it may be an irregular dental arch which can be used for educational purposes.